Vandals key cars at elementary school fundraiser

At least eight cars were vandalized Friday while family and friends were attending a fundraiser at a Granite Bay elementary school.
The vandals caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to cars that were parked along Whispering Oak Circle, close to Greenhills Elementary School, according to school principal Peter Towne.
“It looks like somebody just went down the line and keyed the cars,” said Lt. Mark Reed of the Placer County Sherriff’s Department.
Reed said Monday there were no witnesses to the vandalism and detectives have no leads to go on at this point.
The incident occurred around noon while the victims were attending the school’s annual Jog-a-Thon, which is where parents pledge money while students run laps, Towne said.
“It’s our one fundraiser for the year,” Towne said. “We do that to run all of our special programs.”
Towne said close to 500 parents, grandparents and visitors to the school were present, but the vandalism occurred on a neighboring side street where there is a walkway to the school.
“They did it on both sides of the street, so it was really deliberate,” Towne said. “It is really heartbreaking.”
Towne said the Placer County Sherriff’s office is investigating the incident.
“It would be nice if we had witnesses,” Reed said. “Hopefully it was a one-time deal, but people who vandalize tend to it more than once, unfortunately.”
Toby Lewis can be reached at tobyl@goldcountrymedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TobyLewis_RsvPT.